A permalink (also known as stable link, persistent link, durable link, permanent URL, or permanent link) is a web address that will consistently point to a specific information source such as an eBook, an article, a video, a database etc. Sometimes they take the form of DOIs (explore the DOI Links tab for more information) which are commonly used. More occasionally, you may come across URIs, e.g. in the Scholars Portal database, which also function as a unique identifier for an item.
Some databases provide DOIs instead or in addition to their own permalinks. DOI is an acronym for Digital Object Identifier, which is a unique electronic address for an EResource, usually articles. They should be thought of like permalinks you find in databases. A DOI is the most frequently used permalink and is the preferred method for linking a document because it is platform independent and will never change.
An example of a DOI is: 10.1021/ac0354342
For articles with a DOI, you will need to add the York Libraries proxy prefix for it to work off campus. Do this by pasting it in the Ezproxy Converter box below.
If you are trying to find a DOI for an article you have, you can use this Free DOI Lookup tool from Crossref.
This may be a violation of copyright law or license restrictions. Using permalinks tends to be a safe and reliable option, but for more specifics continue reading.
Posting a single article from a periodical publication or a book chapter to York's learning management systems, e.g. Moodle or Canvas, may be permitted under Fair Dealing Requirements, unless this is not allowed under the terms of the license for the specific e-journal or e-book provided by York University Libraries. Check with the Copyright Office for further guidance.
Before uploading an article into your online course, check the relevant licensing information. When searching for an article in OMNI, select the Available Online link, and for any database platform where the article is available, "License Terms of Use" are provided. If the database or journal platform where the article is found indicates that you are not permitted to put its content "in e-reserves" then you will need to provide your students with a persistent link to the article instead. Note if you do not find the specific article you need in OMNI, search instead for the journal in which it is found, and consult the "License Terms of Use" for that journal.
This URL will not always be stable, i.e. it may contain dynamically generated session-based information that will not work when used at a later time. It is therefore best to use a permalink, either as listed in the OMNI guide, or where not in OMNI, by using this guide to help you find it.
Permalinks need to have a proxy prefix in them to work off-campus and to require user authentication. Some databases automatically provide that prefix and others do not. The Library’s Proxy Prefix is the first part of a permalink that allows you to access the EResource through the Library’s proxy server. For York users this permits authentication through Passport York for those using databases off-campus. The Library’s proxy prefix looks like this: https://ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/login?url=
In this guide, where a database platform requires the addition of this proxy prefix to the permalinks it provides, an Ezproxy Convertor tool, is provided (see example below). Just paste the permalink in to the box for automatic addition of the exproxy prefix.